The Port Hills fire in Christchurch continues to burn, Russia's opposition leader Alexei Navalny has died at 47 and the police will increase their presence on the streets this weekend following a fatal shooting
The prime minister says he is saddened by news of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s death.
Navalny, an outspoken critic of Russia’s President Vladminir Putin, has been in various Russian jails since 2021 on charges widely viewed as politically motivated.
The prison service in Russia’s Yamalo-Nenets district where Navalny was being held announced he had died early on Saturday morning (NZ time) after feeling unwell when he returned from a walk.
On the social media platform X, Christopher Luxon said Navalny was “a fierce advocate of freedom and anti-corruption”.
Meanwhile, an international relations expert hopes the death of Navalny will spur New Zealand to do more to support Ukraine in their war with Russia.
Otago University professor Robert Patman said while New Zealand has given humanitarian aid and some military assistance to Ukraine, other Western allies had done more.
“We haven’t matched the sort of support that Australia and Canada have been giving to Ukraine, and make no mistake about it, a non-nuclear, liberal democracy like New Zealand has a huge stake in making sure that a non-nuclear liberal democracy in Ukraine does not succumb to an illegal invasion from an authoritarian neighbour,” he said.
Patman said there had been concern about “Western battle fatigue” in supporting Ukraine but Navalny’s death would have “significant consequences” for the war.
“I think the shock of Navalny’s death will possibly spur the Europeans, and possibly put pressure on domestic supporters of Mr Putin in the Republican Party of the United States to back down.”
He was not entirely surprised by reports of Navalny’s death in Russian custody.
“It was always possible because Alexei Navalny was a major opposition leader to Vladimir Putin, who has always been very insecure around Navalny,” he said.
